Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-09-22
THE MAGNETIC NEEDLE
Some Account Of the Mariners
Compass.
TIE Dreadful Secret possessed by Friar
Bacon-HOw tho knowledge was Sub
sequently Utilized and Ocean Navi-
ton Made Possible.

tion Made Possible.
"Do not sp ,ak to the man at the
Wheel is printed on the wheelhouse of
many sea-going steamers. Why must
the man at the wheel not be spoken to?
Because, during his two hours turn, his
attention ought to be fixed upon his
compass. Let him turn to a passenger
to answer a question, and the vessel
will depart slightly from her course.
Time will be lost, force will be wasted.
and the steersman will hear short,
sharp word from the officer of the deck,
calling him back to his duty.
The compass is the very eye of the
ship. A skilful seaman. using the
knowledge which the compass has al
ready given him, could navigate ves-
sci across the Atlantic-in time. 1t is
the compass that enables the captain
to shoot his arrowy steamer over the
tracklcss sea in less than week.
through fog. darkness and storm, with
out swerving from his course.
Man possesses few instruments more
valuable than this, and yet no one
knows who invented it If we ask the
Chinese, the people who invented so
many useful things, they point to some
obscure passages in their ancient books,
which do not prove their claim. If the
Chinese had the compass, why did they
not use it? From time immemorial
their numbering junks hugged the
shore, and rarely venturcd further out
to sea than to Japan, which is only 4
If we ask the Greeks, we begin to
get a little light on the subject, for the
Greeks at least know something of the
attractive power of the magnet. They
tell us. in their NEUROLOGICAL way. that
shepherd named Magnes, while pas
turing his flock upon Mount Ida. found
one day that the iron ut the end of his
staff adhered to the ground and to the
nails upon his shoes. He picked up
some of the dark-colOred stones under
his feet. brought them home with him.
and thus gave to mankind a knowl-
edge of the magnet. which was named
after him. The Greeks were great
story-tcllers. They had their legend
about every thing. and this about
Magnes is one of them. from which we
Can at least learn that they were ac-
quainted with the magnets power of
attraction; but they knew nothing of
that valuable quality which it impar,s
to the needle of the compass. They
knew no method of steering vessels in
the onen sea except by the stars. the
flight of birds. and glimpses of the dis
tant highlands.
Nor did the Romans. The Roman
writer's were lost in wonder at the mag
nets attractive power. but there thei:
knowledge Of it ended. The elder
Pliny speaks of it with the simple
amusement of child.
What is there in existence" he
asks. more inert than piece of rigid
s;oncv And yet. behold! Nature has
here endowed stone with both sense
and hands. What is there more stub
this instance bestowed upon it both
feet and intelligence. 1t allows itself.
in fact. to be attracted by the magnet.
The moment the metal comes near it
ii springs toward the magnet. and, as
it clasps it. it is held fast in the
magnets embraces"
This WAS written about the year
seventy of our era, and there is no
proof that any one in the world had
Yet detected the marvellous power Of
the magnet to impart to a piece of iron
the propensity to point to the north.
The passage in the New Testament
which describes the eventful voyage
and shipwreck of St. Paul. speaks
(Acts 2S:l3) of fetching compass.
but the new version gives better
translation. 1--WE made circuit, and
came to Rhegium." No Mediterranean
pilot in the time of St Paul steered his
bark by the aid of the magnetic needle.
1t was at some time near the end of
the twelfth century of the Christian
era that the mysterious power of the
magnet upon the needle became known
to few of the learned men of Europe.
Probably the knowledge of it was
brought to them by the Crusaders re-
turning from the Holy Land. and there
is much reason to believe that this
power of the magnet was first OBJ
served. by the Arabs. an ingenious
race, and the most skillful travellers in
the Middle Ages, whethes on sand OF